KAVANAUGH
Judge Brett Kavanaugh is sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court by retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, whom he is replacing. Holding the Bible is the new justice’s wife, Ashley. At left are their daughters: Liza, front, and Margaret. Saturday’s private ceremony was held in the Supreme Court Building. the country to heal from this ugly ordeal.”“But for now, let me make a modest suggestion,” Portman said. “Let’s take a step back from the brink and lower the rhetoric. Let’s treat disagreements like disagreements, not as proof that our opponents are bad people. Let’s hold up quiet cooperation, as we saw this week with the opioid legislation instead of loud confrontation.”
Trump said the one-week delay in voting to allow for the FBI probe “turned out to be a great thing, a blessing in disguise.” He said a rally speech last week in which he mocked Ford’s allegations proved to be a turning point for the nomination.
Trump also singled out Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, for praise and commended her for her decisive “yea” vote for Kavanaugh. “It showed her to be an honorable, incredible woman. I think she’s got a level of respect that’s unbelievable. I really mean it.”
Meanwhile, Trump predicted in a brief phone interview with The Washington Post on Saturday that Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, “will never recover” politically for her vote against Kavanaugh, saying she will lose if she runs for re-election in 2022.
Murkowski voted “no” Friday on a procedural vote to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination and opposed his confirmation on Saturday. But she then asked to withdraw her “no” vote as a courtesy to Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who missed the vote because of his daughter’s wedding. The practice, called a “pair between senators,” is so that the vote margin would be the same had Daines, who planned to vote for Kavanaugh’s confirmation, been there.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin tweeted tauntingly at the senator on Friday: “Hey @LisaMurkowski - I can see 2022 from my house...”